Quercus prinoides Dwarf chinkapin oak (Fagaceae) Deciduous shrub

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Quercus prinoides
Dwarf chinkapin oak
Deciduous shrub
(1 Page of 5)

The Quercus prinoides plant species is found in Eastern and Central N. America - Maine to Minnesota, south to Alabama and Texas. It is a member of the Fagaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Dwarf chinkapin oak.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Quercus prinoides
Common Name:  Dwarf chinkapin oak
Family:  Fagaceae
Author:  Willd.

Known Hazards:  None known

Mature Height:  4   Mature Width:

Habitat:  Sunny sites, often in rocky or acid sandy soils[227] on dry plains, rocks, thickets and woodland edges[43].

Edible Uses: Seed - cooked[105, 161, 177]. A sweet taste[227]. The seed is up to 15mm long[200], it can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a thickening in stews etc or mixed with cereals for making bread. The seed might contain bitter tannins, these can be leached out by thoroughly washing the seed in running water though many minerals will also be lost. Either the whole seed can be used or the seed can be dried and ground it into a powder. It can take several days or even weeks to properly leach whole seeds, one method was to wrap them in a cloth bag and place them in a stream. Leaching the powder is quicker. A simple taste test can tell when the tannin has been leached. The traditional method of preparing the seed was to bury it in boggy ground overwinter. The germinating seed was dug up in the spring when it would have lost most of its astringency. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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